Hawks-Naismith Classic: Five-star Ashton Hagans shines after UGA commitment

NORCROSS, Ga. -- Fresh off of his commitment to Georgia, five-star point guard Ashton Hagans was impressive at the first ever Hawks-Naismith Classic at Norcross High. Dan McDonald has his takeaways after two days at the event.

Ashton Hagans surprised the basketball world on Thursday night when he made a verbal commitment to play at Georgia. With his college decision out of the way, Hagans showed up at the Hawks-Naismith Classic and led his Newton (Ga.) team to a big win over defending 7-A state champions Tift County (Ga.).

The five-star point guard in the 2019 class has recorded several triple-doubles this year, but Saturday night he came up one rebound short of securing another one as he tallied 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Hagans set the tone defensively in the second half of a tight game and set up teammates for open threes in transition to help break open a close game in the third quarter.

Georgia coach Mark Fox was in attendance to see his newest commit. It’s the relationship between Fox and the rest of the Georgia staff with Hagans that put the Bulldogs over the top.

“They have been with me since the beginning," Hagans told Rivals.com. "They were the first school to offer me as a freshman. It’s close to home and it just felt like the right decision."

The last game of the Hawks-Naismith Classic featured Norcross against Holy Spirit Prep. It turned out to be a battle between 2019 Rivals150 guard Kyle Sturdivant and Anthony Edwards, a five-star guard in the 2020 class.

In a back-and-forth game in which Norcross used a late surge to pull out a 75-65 win, Sturdivant was the difference-maker for the Blue Devils. He hit several big shots and aggressively attacked the rim in transition from start to finish. The 6-foot-3 junior guard can play either spot in the backcourt, but he appears to be much more comfortable in a scoring role off the ball.

Edwards, like Sturdivant, can play either guard spot, but is at his best as a scorer. With a big, strong build at 6-foot-4, he possesses a smooth stroke from deep, but is also more than capable of using his combination of strength and athleticism to get in the paint and score. His aggressiveness on the boards as a guard is also impressive.

On the recruiting side, Sturdivant recently took a trip to Ohio State and was seen wearing a Buckeyes shirt in pregame. Georgia, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, USC and several others are involved with him right now. Edwards has schools from all over the Southeast, such as Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M recruiting him, but the Seminoles have long been the school he’s admitted has an edge in his recruitment.

Walker Kessler’s Woodward Academy team struggled in the backcourt against pressure in their matchup with South Gwinnett on Friday afternoon, but when they were able to defeat the press, Kessler made them pay. The 6-foot-10 post player in the 2020 class finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots in a 64-61 win.

It’s not often you see 6-foot-10 post players in high school as skilled as Kessler. The No. 21-ranked prospect in the 2020 class connected on all six of his three-point attempts and calmly knocked down all four of his free throw attempts. While he clearly has the ability to stretch defenses with his shooting, he’s also quite comfortable playing on the block. He lacks the strength to bully defenders, but he has basic post moves and great touch around the rim.

Auburn, Georgia and Vanderbilt have already extended scholarships to the sophomore star, and each school has had him on campus already. Stanford and Wake Forest have also shown heavy interest. It’s important to note his brother Houston, father Chad and uncle Alec all played basketball at Georgia, which gives the Bulldogs a nice head start in his recruitment.

... Jordan Meka is another forward in the 2020 class for high-majors to track. The 6-foot-7 athlete from Mt. Bethel Christian is an elite shot-blocker with a motor that never stops running. He’ll need to improve his skill level on the offensive, and he’s made progress since the summer, but he does already hold offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Mississippi State.

... Georgia coach Mark Fox and DePaul head coach Dave Leitao were both in attendance for the Norcross/Holy Spirit matchup to close out the event, as both had signees playing. Jojo Toppin is still raw in the skill department although improved, but there aren’t many better athletes in the entire 2018 class than the 6-foot-6 small forward from Norcross. His energy sparked Norcross in the second half. DePaul signee George Masslenikov is a skilled post player that connected on a couple three-pointers. He also did a nice job on the boards and protecting the rim.

... Jaden Walker is a 2020 prospect who could end up on high-major radars before long. He’s a 6-foot-4 point guard with a smooth stroke from three-point range and a really good passer.

... Garrison Powell of Holy Innocents may only be a freshman, but he’s wasted no time proving he’s capable of putting points on the board in a hurry. The class of 2021 guard had 21 points on Friday in a loss to Mt. Bethel Christian. Already 6-foot-3, he looks like a potential knock-down shooter for coaches to monitor. Middle Tennessee rewarded him with his first offer last month.